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Dvořák's New World Symphony

Episode 1 of 3

For Margaret the piece played a role in her mother's life while in a Japanese prisoner of war camp, while Albie Sachs whistled it while in solitary confinement in South Africa.

An exploration of the powerful emotional impact of the music also known as Symphony No. 9. Margaret explains how the New World Symphony played a role in her mother's life while in a Japanese prisoner of war camp, while anti-apartheid campaigner Albie Sachs recalls how he whistled it while in solitary confinement in South Africa. He was able to make contact with the wider world and it kept his spirit and hope alive.

While for many - in the UK at least, it will be always associated with an advert for brown bread the Largo from Dvorak's New World Symphony is an enduring a piece that never fails to move and inspire.

Image: Czech composer Antonin Dvorak, Credit: Hulton Archive/Getty Images

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23 minutes

Last on

Sun 12 Jun 201609:06GMT

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  • Sun 12 Jun 201609:06GMT

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